PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS have confirmed a further 738 cases of Covid-19 in Ireland, bringing the total number of positive cases to 218,980.

Additionally, the Department of Health has reported that 13 more people have died with Covid-19.

The total number of people who have died in Ireland with Covid-19 now stands at 4,313.

The seven day incidence rate has fallen to 97.3 cases per 100,000 people – the first time it has dropped below 100 since 22 December.

Of the cases notified today:

• 356 are men and 378 are women
• 71% are under 45 years of age
• The median age is 32 years old
• 311 in Dublin, 54 in Limerick, 36 in Cork, 34 in Offaly, 33 in Donegal and the remaining 270 cases are spread across 20 other counties. 

Of the 13 deaths, 10 occurred in February, one in January, one in October, and the date of one is still under investigation.

The median age of people who died was 81 and they were aged between 55 and 92.

At 8am today, 550 Covid-19 patients were hospitalised, of which 135 were in ICU. 27 additional hospitalsations have been made in thelpast 24 hours.

Validation of data at the Health Protection Surveillance Centre resulted in the denotification of nine cases that were previously confirmed, which is reflected in the current running total.

As of 24 February, 391,355 vaccine doses have been administered in Ireland, including 254,948 people who have received their first dose and 136,407 people who have received their second dose.

Healthcare workers are still under strain but there has been “continued improvement” in the number of Covid-19 patients in hospital, HSE CEO Paul Reid said today.

“Our healthcare teams are exhausted. But getting their vaccination & the great signs of it reducing transmission is giving us all a second wind,” Reid said.

“We are winning, it’s just not over yet,” he said.